Shopping the Bulgarian way

In the last few years the high streets have changed throughout Bulgaria, with more and more upmarket shops and high street brands coming in. We go shopping to see what it's really like...

By Louise R. Candy

Fashion

The choice of clothes shops in Bulgaria is starting to blossom, and in the cities you'll find couture, high street brands and local fashion. Remember, though, Sofia is not Paris, London or Milan, and this is not a land for cutting-edge style. The young women dress to emphasise their femininity and they love high heels, even in the midst of winter, with snow and ice everywhere! A good pair of heels will cost around 40 leva (£16), while jeans range from 20 to 100 leva (£10-40) and a shirt costs around 30 leva (£12).

Handmade crafts and antiques

This is a great country for finding traditionally-made crafts for bargain prices. Bulgaria offers much in the way of colourful woven textiles and hand-painted ceramics. You can pick up beautiful plates, cups and bowls for as little as 3 leva (about £1.20), silk scarf's for 25 leva (£10) and traditional table cloths for 10 leva (£4). In tourist areas you will also find antiques shops, which are well worth a visit. Here you can buy antiques, like old wooden bowl or Soviet memorabilia, for quite reasonable prices.

Supermarkets

CBA is the biggest chain and can be found almost everywhere. You won't get the same selection and quality of products as in the UK, but if this is a bit disappointing the prices will cheer you up. Although costs have gone up over the last couple of years, a weekly shop for a family of four will still only set you back 120 leva, which is about £50. This is great for European visitors, but if you take into consideration that the average pay in Bulgaria is only 400 leva (£160) a month, then you may wonder how people manage to live, let alone buy clothes.

If you don't find what you need at CBA, you could always try Metro, the German cash & carry giant. Here you can find everything under one roof, from electrical goods to chairs, cloths and food. You do need to have a membership card, but this is just a formality.

Price examples from CBA:
Milk 1 liter 1,50 - 1,80 leva (£0,80)
Good butter 250 gr. 4,40 leva (£1,75)
Uncle Bens rise 500gr 4,50 leva (£1,80)
Bread 1,- leva (£0,40)
Pasta 500 gr. 1,60 leva (£0,60)
Instant coffee 500 gr. 7 leva (£2,80)
Tinned tuna fish 185 gr. 2,49 leva (£1)
Beer 2 liter 2,20 leva (£0,80)
White wine 3 liter Bag in Box 11,00 leva (£4,40)

Markets

If you are looking for fruit and vegetables, then head for one of the many markets. They are full of locally grown fresh produce from potatoes and cabbages to strawberries and cherries. Just keep in mind that you will only find what is in season, so the choices during the winter months are very limited. At some of the village markets you can also pick up a live chicken or two, but if this wasn't exactly what you had in mind, then you'll find plenty of cloths and knickknacks at bargain prices too.

Customer service...

Shopping in Bulgaria is an experience itself. Customer service isn't really a concept yet, so you may not always find the shop attendants particularly friendly and they have a habit of hovering just behind you, which can be a bit unsettling. Also English is not widely spoken, so get ready to enjoy much gesticulation and pointing! But when you get past all this, shopping can be a lot of fun and there are many bargains to be had.

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